The Bear Facts

The Bear Facts

The Ears Determine The Maturity Of The Animal

By Charlie Burchfield

It was midday, and from the vista overlooking a newly created clearcut the view was spectacular.

The view across the mountains of Potter County was accented with snow cover, offering an early winter landscape of white.

While the view was one reason for stopping, the clearcut was also part of the attraction. After all, my buddy Steve mentioned that bears were crossing the thick cover on a regular basis.

But what were the chances of seeing a black bear?

The day before I had spotted three. Odds were today I'd come up empty handed, but that was not the case.

Within about five minutes of glassing the tangle of treetops we spotted a bear. A nice bear at that, and even at 200 yards or more away, the bear was striking in appearance.

It was a mature bear. That determination was not made on just observing the size of the bear. Instead it was his ears that gave his size away.

A black bear has a straight profile and hardly exhibits any shoulder hump, unlike a grizzly. Small eyes are the norm, and this contributes to the black bear's fair eyesight.

Average males weigh from 200 to 300 pounds. Black bears stand from 2- to 3 feet in height at the shoulders. Adding to the size of black bears is their total length, often reaching five feet from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.

This profile can make any black bear appear larger than it really is, but the ears are a dead give-away when it comes to observing a mature black bear.

Black bears are born with large ears -- ridiculously large ears, in fact. Young and immature bears grow into their ears. When you see a bear that has rounded ears that appear to be short, now you're watching a mature black bear.

The bear we were watching worked its way through the fallen treetops and made its way through thick cover. Where the bear traveled it only took five minutes or so to cross. The bear walked through the brush and upthe length of fallen trees. What was amazing to see was the agility of this large animal and the ease it took to cover ground.

After crossing to the open timber the bear decided to put it into high gear. It took off with ease uphill with no trouble. Bears have been clocked at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour. This bruin was moving along, maybe not that fast, but with ease -- and uphill at that.

Traditionally black bears are just that – black. But like other animals, bruins exhibit a number of color phases. Some bears are brown, while others are cinnamon, both of which are not that uncommon. Others may carry a spot of blaze white on their chest, which gives these animals a distinctive look.

By now black bears have really packed on their winter weight. Throughout the fall and into early winter black bears will feed as much as possible.

During this feeding frenzy they have been known to pack on several pounds a day. But when winter hits early and feed is scarce, the females will tend to go into hibernation early.

While judging a black bear's weight in the field can be only a guess at best, there are proven methods of weighing a black bear without scales. This can be tricky when it comes to a live bear. But for those that are harvested, hunters can get a good idea of the animal's weight from a piece of rope, or better yet a tape measure, and take a girth measurement.

Chest girth measurements are taken around the animal behind the front shoulders. A chest girth measurement of 25 inches will show the bear's estimated live weight at 65 pounds.

A measurement of 30 inches means 100 pounds live weight. Thirty-five inches and the live weight is about 160 pounds. Forty inches and the live weight estimate hits the 225 pound mark.

At 45 inches you've got a 300-pound bear on your hands. And at 50 inches the bear's estimated live weight will hit the 385-pound mark. At 55 inches the bear should tip the scales at 480 pounds, and if the measurement tops out at 60 inches, the bear hitting that mark will be in the 590-pound class.

While all black bears are legal during the three-day season, knowing what to look for can make the difference between taking a small bear and one of trophy proportions.

This season the number of black bears available to hunters is better than ever. If you've done some pre-season scouting, your chances of taking a black bear this season should be exceptional.

Charlie Burchfield is a past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and an active member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. To contact Gateway Outdoors e-mail charlie@key-net.net